Summer is now in full swing and most of the UAE has gone or is going on holiday. Whilst we travel to the many locations around this globe, we can sometimes enter a wholly different state of mind as we jet around the world.
Something akin to the ‘Twilight Zone’. Sure, we should all learn to relax, unwind and enjoy ourselves as much as possible. But what tends to happen, and believe it or not studies have been made on this, is that we place all our routine habits (and a good dose of common sense) on the back burner.

This includes eating and exercise regimes that we swear by all year round and stick to them religiously. Truth is we change, whether we go back to our home countries and overindulge whilst with family members, or visit new locations and try their local cuisines that include carbs and fats that we had black listed in normal times. Then the closer we get to the holidays end the greater the guilt and weight that we pile on.

The key is to plan our dietary intake on holiday beforehand and try to achieve a reasonable balance. It’s no use trying to adhere strictly to your annual routine, that will negate the whole idea of winding down. On the other hand, it’s of no value throwing everything we do overboard and going to the extremes.

These days, there aren’t many places left on the globe that don’t have reasonably stocked grocery outlets. Even more traditional destinations tend to benefit from local farmers markets that are a cornucopia of fresh and healthy produce. By all means try new and wonderful foods, however don’t ever allow yourself to let go of the common sense you’ve developed on your eating requirements.

I appreciate that we also don’t want to go to within a mile of a gym, never mind think about a good workout. There are some of us who can get away with this approach, because they are extremely dedicated and will spend a whole month after the vacation catching up at the gym. However, many of us do lose the oomph, the desire to reinstate our previous workout regime. There are a multitude of simple exercises that we can incorporate into our holiday, that are simple and require relatively little time. The internet is stuffed to the brim with whole routines you can use. Additionally, we tend to head to cooler climes and a great way to stay relatively fit is to walk, walk and then walk some more.

I can already hear most of you telling me to give it a break, enjoy yourself and let loose. We all need to relax, however going to extremes will most likely only end up in making us even more frustrated.
And every now and then, treat yourself to that naughty but tasty local treat wherever you are.

Enjoy your holidays.

Moni, xx